On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the European Commission published the results of a Eurobarometer survey on the perception of antisemitism.
The results show that a growing majority of Europeans consider antisemitism to be a problem in their Member State. This figure stands at 55% in 2025, compared to 50% in 2018. Almost half of Europeans (47%) acknowledge a rise in antisemitism in their Member State over the past five years. This represents an increase of 11 percentage points since 2018.
Hostility in public spaces is the most frequently cited manifestation of antisemitism, reported by 62% of respondents (+11 percentage points). Antisemitic graffiti follows closely, cited by 61% (+10 percentage points). Online antisemitism is also cited by 61% of respondents (+10 percentage points). Almost seven out of ten Europeans (69%) believe that conflicts in the Middle East influence perceptions of Jewish people in their country. This compares to 54% in 2018.
Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, said: “Jewish culture is woven into the fabric of European history. We must protect and nurture this today and well into the future. Remembrance ensures that we never forget historical truth. We remember, together.”
The survey also found that nearly half of Europeans believe that the Holocaust is sufficiently taught in schools. This figure stands at 48%, compared to 43% in 2018. A growing number of Europeans are aware of laws criminalising the incitement to antisemitic violence. This awareness has increased to 66%, up from 61% in 2018. Half of Europeans (52%) are aware of laws criminalising Holocaust denial. This represents a significant increase from 42% in 2018.
In October 2024, the European Commission published its progress report on the first-ever EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life, adopted in October 2021. The Strategy steers the fight against antisemitism in the EU. It sets out a series of measures to prevent all forms of antisemitism, secure and foster Jewish life in Europe, and promote Holocaust remembrance. Work on all 90 actions of the Strategy is ongoing. Most recently, a European Network of Holocaust Memorials (ESHEM) was launched. The network aims to create synergies among more than 44,000 memorials across Europe.
On 20 January, 2026, the Commission also presented its new EU Anti-Racism Strategy 2026–2030. The Strategy aims to combat all forms of racism, including antisemitism. The Framework Decision on Combating Racism and Xenophobia ensures that serious manifestations of racism and xenophobia are punishable by effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal sanctions. This includes publicly condoning, denying or trivialising the Holocaust. In 2023, the Commission adopted the Communication “No place for hate: a Europe united against hatred”. The Communication seeks to step up efforts to fight hatred in all its forms. In this context, the European Citizens’ Panel on Tackling Hatred in Society formulated a series of policy recommendations. The panel was composed of 150 randomly selected citizens.
As part of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, the Commission will provide over €28 million in EU funding to support projects on European remembrance in 2026–2027. Priority will be given, among others, to projects that strengthen Holocaust remembrance, education and research, or combat Holocaust denial and distortion. With the support of the Erasmus+ programme, and as part of the EU-funded project “Addressing antisemitism through education”, UNESCO is launching a survey on teachers’ knowledge and understanding of antisemitism.
